Shetland Islands - 52 Attractions You Must Visit

Hoswick is a settlement in Sandwick in the south mainland of Shetland, Scotland, on the eastern part of the Dunrossness civil parish. Hoswick Visitors Centre is a convenient stop for visitors, located halfway between Lerwick and Sumburgh. They have a popular café, a large range of information to help visitors planning their visit to Shetland.

The Jarlshof Prehistoric and Norse settlements in Shetland are one of the most important and inspirational archaeological sites in Scotland. This extraordinary site has a complex of ancient settlements which cover more than 4,000 years of human history. You will be amazed to find such a range of archaeological treasures in one place, including late Neolithic houses, a Bronze Age village, an Iron Age broch and wheelhouses, a Norse longhouse, a medieval farmstead and a 16th century laird’s house.

Keen of Hamar is a nature reserve on Unst, in Shetland, Scotland, managed by Scottish Natural Heritage. The reserve is primarily of botanical interest, for example for populations of Cerastium nigrescens, a plant unique to Unst. This unique nature reserve may appear barren, but is in fact home to a unique collection of plants that have adapted to survive upon the rare serpentine rock that covers the land.

The Lang Ayre is a beach on the west side of Ronas Hill, in the Northmavine part of Shetland's Mainland. It is a thousand yards long, three-fifths of a mile, which makes it the longest beach in Shetland. It is accessed either by a long walk from the top of Collafirth Hill and going down the Burn of Monius, or by sea.

This is one of the finest beaches on Shetland this beach slopes gently into the chilly waters of the North Atlantic. This is a dog-friendly, north-facing beach that faces into the North Sea. There are so many leisure options and also opyu can spend some beautiful time in this area by a sunbath and also a bath in the sea.

Linga is a very small uninhabited island in the Bluemull Sound, Shetland, Scotland. It is one of many islands in Shetland called Linga. The surface area is about 65 acres and there are two derelict cottages on Linga. The local council granted planning permission in 2011 to an oil industry engineer develop the island but by 2018 these plans had not come to fruition.

Minn Beach is a quite simply stunning area on West Burra. Head for Papil and then follow the signposts to Banna Minn. There’s a car park there and a short walk downhill to Minn beach. The curved beach, and an impossibly thin sliver of land behind it are all that join the two southern parts of the island together! Banna Minn is particularly popular with photographers.

A beautiful narrow peninsula that stretches to the south from the Scat Ness headland of Mainland, Shetland island. Shetland has a rich and accessible archaeological record, spanning the period from Neolithic settlement to remains from the 20th century’s wars. The Ness of Burgi fort, probably built around 100 BC in the Iron Age, lies on the Ness. The fort is isolated by a rampart and had a ditch on either side.

Old Scatness is an archeological site on the Ness of Burgi, parish of Dunrossness in the south end of Mainland, Shetland, near Sumburgh Airport and consists of medieval, Viking, Pictish, and Iron Age remains. It has been a settlement for thousands of years, each new generation adding buildings, and leveling off old ones. Enter Iron Age houses, learn ancient crafts and games or dress up like a Pict or Viking. Visitor centre, workshops, tours, reconstructions and events throughout the summer.

Out Stack is the most northerly point of the United Kingdom, lying north of the Shetland Islands. It lies within the Hermaness National Nature Reserve and is little more than a rocky outcrop of land. It is uninhabited and there is no landfall directly to the north. It has been described as "the full stop at the end of Britain".

In the Bronze and Iron Age houses at Jarlshof, visitors can see saddle querns. These hand powered mills were large versions of a pestle and mortar. Later in Shetland, small ‘Norse’ water mills with vertical axis wheels were built next to a running burn. Examples can be seen at Huxter, Burland, Mousa and at the Croft House Museum at Boddam.

The Quendale Watermill is a beautifully restored 19th century overshot watermill complete with visitor centre and hot and cold drinks facilities. It was located in a rural location with historical locations and also scenic views too. Visitors to the mill are invited to watch a short professional video of the mill, with local people operating the machinery.

Remote Radar Head Saxa Vord or RRH Saxa Vord (aka RAF Saxa Vord), is a Royal Air Force radar station located on the island of Unst, the most northern of the Shetland Islands in Scotland. As of July 2019 it is once more a fully operational radar station, after closure in 2006. The station's motto Praemoneo de Periculis reflects its role. RAF Saxa Vord is further north than Saint Petersburg in Russia, and on the same latitude as Anchorage, Alaska.

Ronas Voe is a voe in Northmavine, Shetland. It divides the land between Ronas Hill, Shetland's tallest mountain, and the Tingon peninsula. It is the second largest voe in Shetland, the largest being Sullom Voe. The townships of Heylor, Voe and Swinister are located on its shores, and the township of Assater is under a kilometre away.

Sumburgh Head is characterised by steep cliffs, a historic lighthouse building and one of Britain’s most accessible seabird colonies. The head is a 100 m high rocky spur capped by the Sumburgh Head Lighthouse. Visit, and explore the history and natural heritage of Sumburgh Head from early geological beginnings and Iron Age settlers to Lighthouse Keepers, Whales, Puffins and much more.

Scalloway Castle was the home of Patrick Stewart, earl of Orkney and Shetland. ‘Black Patie’, as he became known in Shetland, was notorious for his oppression of the Shetland people. The L-shaped tower was the main block although there would have been other domestic buildings and stores in the grounds. It stands three storeys high above a vaulted ground floor containing the kitchen and store.

Scalloway is a thriving port on the "mainland" of the Shetland Islands. It was once the island's capital in the seventeenth century. Now a picturesque town of 1,200 people, Scalloway is overlooked by Scalloway Castle, built by forced labour between 1599 and 1607 on the orders of the harsh Earl Patrick Stewart.

The Shetland Bus memorial in Scalloway celebrates the bravery of the men who ran the Shetland based boat operation to and from occupied Norway. This is a moving tribute on the waterfront, built with stones from both countries. The Norwegian stones are from the home areas of 44 Norwegians who died running the gauntlet between Norway and Scalloway.

A beautiful beach which has a fine cliff and also it is famous among tourists. The beach is of fine, white sand and is backed by a meadow hosting a profusion of wild flowers in spring and summer. There are excellent walks to be had on the low cliffs and headlands in this area.

A beautiful island which was within Shetland Islands and is northeast of Little Havra Island, northwest of Holm of Maywick and southeast of Kettla Ness. South Havra was once home to eight families, whose houses were built on the edge of the precipice, to enable them to use all the good land. The island had no running water, and had Shetland’s only windmill but alas this was ineffective in grinding corn and the grain was sent to the mill at Weisdale.